Will You Be Safe at Trump’s Rally in Patchogue?

Though Donald Trump will not be making any speeches in the Hamptons, he will be appearing tonight before our neighbors in Patchogue. The Suffolk County Republican Committee fundraiser, from 5–9 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, has been receiving noticeable amounts of opposition and concern from locals.

Of course, for those who have been following the news, even at the bare minimum, Trump rallies have been scenes of violent acts among his supporters, at times even goaded by the candidate himself. Just two weeks ago, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was arrested and charged with simple battery, an item that barely seems noteworthy considering the chaos that has become standard fare at Trump’s rallies.

Bernie Sanders supporters have already launched an initiative via Facebook to gather outside the Emporium music venue in Patchogue to protest Trump’s questionable tactics of hate speech and demagoguery—an added element that has contributed to the local anxiety about tomorrow’s event.

But the question remains: Are Trump supporters inherently violent? In a recent poll collected from Twitter, Trump supporters, more than supporters of any other candidate, are shown to have a tendency toward enjoying violent sports—they’re 2.8 times more likely than the Twitter average to be interested in mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling.

Infographic provided by Demographics Pro, demographicspro.com

Though it’s not quite fair to lump Trump supporters into this category based off Twitter information, other online polls attribute his supporters with additional less favorable characteristics. Another recent poll detailing the media consumption habits of candidate followers showed that Trump supporters were shown to have the lowest percentage of news consumption—their main sources being CNBC, Fortune and Men’s Humor, which has the tagline: “A website filled with humor, hot girls, funny videos and more. What else can a guy ask for?” (See infographic below)

Regardless, the Suffolk County Police Department is fully prepared for anything tomorrow. Police Commissioner Timothy Sini announced at a press conference in Yaphank Wednesday that they have amped up security “to provide an orderly and safe environment in which people can peacefully demonstrate their opinions.”

For those planning to attend, whether in support or opposition of Mr. Trump, we hope all attendees remain safe. It’s certainly not guaranteed.